Varieties of The Fantastic in Fiction

At first I had trouble understanding the purpose of “Stop Your Women’s Ears with Wax,” by Julia Armfield. Although, eerie in its tone there was nothing at first that stood out to me representing the fantastic. It seemed like a story of a young woman who followed a band around their tour. There were times in which the story would take an eerie and irrational take on the thoughts and emotions on these women such as when the girls said, “Don’t do it, says another of the girls, you’ll kill us if you send us away (53).” This was the first instance in which I thought that although dramatic, it would not be out of the question for a young woman to be a little emotional or dramatic. However, it still struck as a little weird to be so attached to the band. As I kept reading I realized how the fantastical tied to the story such as the killing going on throughout the story and the irrational attachment that the women have with the band. They even described their attachment to the band as, “The drag, the ache, the yearn, the need, whatever you want to call it (58).” It sounds as something irresistible and inevitable for them to somehow end up following the band. Which then makes the reader think that maybe the band is not completely normal or maybe not even human. Which, later also seems to relate to the fans as they no longer seem to be completely normal or human. This is also somewhat emphasized with the descriptions used for the fan and Mona such as snakes, nervous dog-scent, tandem shedding, ragged birds. All these descriptions seem to point towards the idea that the fans are no longer human as they are described in an animalistic way. Additionally, the killings centered around the band seem to stem from the fans. The fans in their obsession and love for the band seem to be going to the extremes to defend this band that they have never possibly meet. This is also followed up by the bands response to their fans behavior in which they state that, “Setting an example’s all well and good but I personally wouldn’t want the kind of fans who’s follow it. We just want fans who follow us (61).” This is an interesting take nowadays, since it is a common idea that fans directly define and portray the artists that they follow. Hence, it somewhat shows another foreshadowing that the band and their fans are similar in the sense that they may not be human. Furthermore, blood is also emphasized quite a bit in the story as there are moments in which they are drinking blood, they are injuring people resulting in blood, and the smell of blood is also alluded to. Which could be indicatory to what the fans have become, something that is not quite human and is seeking for blood. However, it could also be a way in which the fans have become blood hungry in order to protect the band that they love and admire.